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NASSCOM signs MoU for NAC in North-Eeast
Leading Information Technology (IT) and software service industry
in India, NASSCOM, has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER) to roll-out the
NASSCOM Assessment of Competence (NEC) in North-Eastern states. Official
sources informed that about 20,000 students from different parts of the
region would take part in proposed NAC to be held on September 7th and 8th
inorder to expand the IT base in the region. "We have initiated NAC in
the region to further the goal of identifying talent from Indian hinterland
and providing them with job opportunities in high growth BPO
industry,"stated the Nasscomm officials. "NE has an abundance of
hard-working youngsters and NAC is all set to unleash human resource in the
region and help maintain India’s edge in the BPO industry"they added.
Coming soon! Tea-wine from Assam tea gardens
The gardens of Tocklai in Assam, the world’s oldest and largest
tea research station, are all set to raise a storm in your tea cup. The
scientists are working round the clock. They are stirring up a magical
combination that’s going to give India and the world its first tea
tablets, first tea biscuits and tea colas and interestingly- wine. “In
Japan you will find wine mixed with tea. They call it tea-wine. But in our
case, the base is tea from which wine is developed,” says director,
Tocklai Tea Station, Dr Mridul Hazarika. And if it becomes a morning cup of
wine instead of tea, you can take heart from the fact that the scales will
not be weighed too much against your health. Says Dr Hazarika, “If this
wine will come true then it will have an anti-oxidant property much more
than normal wine.” Tocklai that celebrates its centenary year in 2010, has
been working on developing diversified products from tea to absorb the shock
of a continuing depression in the tea market. The three products will be
unveiled during an International Tea Convention to be held in Guwahati and
Jorhat simultaneously in November.
Tezpur airfieldf to get
facelift
Tezpur airfield will be closed for civil aviation for about a
year starting from October for repair and re-surfing of the runway, informed
the spokesman of the Eastern Air Command , Wing Commander Benoy Chongtham.
Informing about the temporary closure of the one of the oldest Airfield in
Assam, the Air force spokesman stated, “Over a period of time, the runway
condition has significantly deteriorated which may adversely affect the
safety of aircraft including that of the civil aviation”. “In the larger
interests of the public and keeping in view the stipulated safety of the
aircraft resurfacing of the runway and allied works are operationally
inescapable. “Hence, the Indian Air Force starting from October this year
will undertake the repair work”, further stated Chongtham. While
maintaining that It will be a great inconvenience to the air travelers who
have been flying in and out of this airfield, Chongtham however said,
“after repaired, the airfield will become safer, more effective and
reliable; also will allow increased activity of bigger and more
sophisticated aircraft for the benefit of everyone”. That the work cannot
be carried out in bits and pieces as this will delay the repair process. The
inconvenience caused is temporary that needs to be borne with or tolerated
keeping in mind the future benefits. The Indian Air force solicits
cooperation from all concerned bodies and public.Only Military helicopters
will be permitted to operate in this airfield during this period.
Bangla
operators to offer package tours
A Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) was signed between Tourist Operators Association of
Bangladesh (TOAB) and Tripura Tourism Forum (TTF) here to boost tourism
potential in both countries. A twelve-member TOAB delegation led by Managing
Director Hassan Mansur visited several tourist spots around the Agartala.
They also held a meeting with top government officials here. The TOAB team
later held discussion with representatives of TTF to know the possibility of
tourism in Tripura. Before leaving for Shillong, Mansur said that the TOAB
will offer package tours to the tourists from Tripura to boost tourism in
Bangladesh. “The offers of package tour will be affordable for tourists of
Tripura keeping in mind the economic condition”, he said adding that the
tourist body will also try to encourage Bangladeshis to visit historic sites
in Tripura. “Tripura has tremendous potential in the field of tourism but
that needs to be explored properly”, he said
State
committing genocide: NGO
Hem Lall Bhandari
of the Sikkimese Association For Environment (SAFE), an NGO supporting the
cause of the indigenous Lepchas through Affected Citizens Of Teesta (ACT)
has described the entire situation as ‘heinous genocide of the Lepchas of
Sikkim through mega hydel power projects to fill the personal treasuries of
Ministers, businessmen and bureaucrats’. On behalf of SAFE, a public
interest litigation (PIL) was made to the Chief Justice of Sikkim on the
ground that seven hydel projects will be built in Dzongu, falling under KNP
declared as a biosphere reserve by the Government of India. Bhandari
expressed this view and added that the State has violated in letter and
spirit Article 14,19 (1)(c), 21 by a series of executive actions and
inactions, overlooked the provisions of Articles 46 and 48 and violated
Article 256 by totally ignoring its mandate
Sikkim’s first Chief
Minister cremated
Thousands gathered at
the Rumtek monastery, about 25 km from Gangtok, as the mortal remains of the
first Chief Minister of Sikkim, Kazi Lhendup Dorjee Khangsarpa, were
consigned to flames as per the Buddhist traditions. Khangsarpa, who played a
key role in Sikkim’s merger with the Indian Union and ushered in a
democratic movement in the State when it was still ruled by a monarch,
passed away at his Kalimpong residence on Saturday, at the age of 103 years.
He was honoured with Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India, the second
highest civilian award for his outstanding political career. A Buddhist, the
late Kazi saab, as he was popularly known, had a long association with the
Rumtek monastery. He was the head Lama at this monastery for eight years in
the 1920s. Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, his Cabinet colleagues,
legislators and a host of senior government officials besides the Lamas of
the monastery and common people took part in the funeral of the departed
leader. Educational institutions, State Government offices, public
undertakings, shops and business establishments all over the State remained
closed as a mark of respect to the departed leader. Chamling led the funeral
procession as it was taken out from the Rumtek monastery (old) to the
cremation ground nearby. The funeral pyre was lit by Nendo Rinpoche, the
head of the Rumtek monastery.
Centre for
lasting peace in Nagaland
The NSCN (IM) can
walk out of the peace process if it feels that present initiative would not
usher lasting peace in the militancy-hit State, said Union Minister and the
peace negotiator with the outfit, Oscar Fernandes. The Centre and the NSCN
(IM) had entered into an “indefinite ceasefire” recently. Both the
Centre and the outfit feels that it would bring in lasting peace through the
process, he said.
Nagaland CM for overhaul
of administration
Nagaland Government
has sought the Centre’s assistance to modernise the administration in
districts on the lines of the revamping of police forces in the North East,
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said. “Modernisation of the civil
administration and police administration must go hand in hand in tackling
the unique situation in the region, particularly in Nagaland,” he said.
Rio said he had suggested that the National Development Council (NDC) should
assist special category states to improve administration in districts and
sub- divisions because assets created long ago had become non-functional.
Speaking at the same function, Minister for Development of the North East (DoNER)
Mani Shanakar Aiyar stressed the need for judicious use of funds and
maintenance of quality in creating assets.
Concern
over smuggling of trees to B’desh
Meghalaya Chief
Secretary Ranjan Chatterjee has expressed concern over the felling of trees
in the southern slopes of the State and their transportation to Bangladesh.
Addressing a closing function of the two-day Forest Officer’s conference
review meeting, Mr. Chatterjee asked the officers to make a concerted effort
in this regard to protect the environment. He said industries would come up
in the State due to the industrial policy but the environment should be
protected by creating a green cover.
In the present situation, the Forest officials would have to play a
pro-active role including giving suggestions to the State Government in
matters of law as well.
International
aid for NERLP in NE
The Ministry of
DoNER, Government of India has prepared a draft strategy report on
‘Natural resources, water and environment nexus for development and
growth’ in order to develop a vision for the development and management of
water and related natural resource/environmental issues in the North Eastern
region for its sustainable and equitable growth, with assistance from the
World Bank. The report is based on presentations on successful river basin
management of foreign countries like Canada and Brazil, a PIB Press release
said. The Ministry has also initiated discussions with the World Bank on the
feasibility of a North East Region Livelihood Project (NERLP), which is
based on the IFAD aided NER Community Resource Management Project (NERCRMP)
which has been successfully implemented in two districts each in Meghalaya,
Assam and Manipur. A Preliminary Project Report for NERLP was prepared by
the Ministry in consultation with the Planning Commission and referred to
the World Bank, which has agreed to assist in implementation
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